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…EGG-cellent quick & healthy breakfast ideas…

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Eggs…

A favorite breakfast option for most people.

The good thing about eggs… you can prepare them in various ways!

Eggs are packed with nutrition and protein!

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Eggs are considered to be a “pure protein”.  What give it that unique characteristic is the fact that it carries ALL NINE essential amino acids. Amino are VERY important because they are the key components in helping your body form protein. When you consume foods, like protein, your body breaks it down into specific amino acids. Your body then rearranges them and puts them back together in a “new” form of protein. These “new” proteins can be found in your hair, skin, organs, bone, and skeletal muscles. Your body will also use protein to help repair damaged tissues and cells and upkeep and maintain your muscles.

Eggs are also packed with omega-3 fatty acids.  This is a nutrient that your body can not make so it is important that you consume them.  These omega-3 fatty acids are essential to your body.  These omega-3 fatty acids aid in helping to reduce heart disease, and research has also shown that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to help with depression.

Eggs are “Egg-sactly” what the doctors suggest you regularly consume to help with your overall health. You do not have to make them “Egg-stravagent” or use “Egg-streme” recipes to enjoy an “Egg-ceptional” meal!

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…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Protein Pancakes…

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One of my staple food items are my protein pancakes!  They are great to eat at breakfast time, but I will also make a batch of them and have them to eat when I am traveling or to have as a snack.  The great thing about these pancakes it that they are low carb, high in protein, and they TASTE AMAZING!  You can also play around with them and make your own flavors.  You can get creative and play around with the recipe to make them just how you like them!

Here is how I make my protein pancakes:

  • 1 large egg
  • 22 grams of your favorite protein powder
  • 5 grams of coconut flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (if you use chocolate protein powder try using chocolate extract)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • water (add until you want it as thin/thick as you would like)
  • Optional:  You can use almond milk instead of water
  • Optional:  Fresh fruit like berries or mashed bananas
  • Optional: PB2 peanut butter powder OR chocolate PB2

You mix all of the above ingredients into a bowl or cup.  You then pour the batter into a skillet, waffle iron, or any other kind of pan that you would like.  You can make the mixture think or thick depending on how you like it.  You can make the batter thinner to make more pancakes.  Cook them like you would cook “regular” pancakes.

I use Walden’s Farm fat-free (sugar-free, calorie free, and carb free) syrup on my pancakes.  IT TASTE AMAZING!  It tastes just like regular syrup to me but without all of the calories and added macros.

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You can play around with what kind of protein powder you like to use.  I have tried several different brands but a brand such as Body Fortress or Cellucor will work fine.  The fun part is finding a brand that offers a variety of flavors and just trying them out.  Different protein powders have different consistencies so you may have to add more or less to get the right mixture for your pancakes.

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When I do my weekly meal prep, I will make several batches of these and freeze them.  This will allow me to make a bunch of them and save them to heat up and eat later.  This also helps them to stay good for longer than a week.  I do this because breakfast is usually one of my busiest times of the day.  At night i will take out a few pancakes from the freezer and put them in fridge.  Usually in the morning they are not frozen any more and I can heat them up with my syrup.

Please feel free to try these out and let me know if you have any questions OR if you have an alternate way to make these!

ENJOY!

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…Workout Wednesday…

Today is Hump day….so I have decided to try to help you over exercise and health humps!

Still need some convincing to get up and get started? Read this article I found at WebMD.com.  This article gives you 10 good reasons to start your fitness routine (other than just working out to get healthy and see the physical benefits).

Here are some quick tips to remember once you have jump started your routine:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

This is the most important meal of the day! It is suggested that you eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking up.  Your body has depleted all of its food and other nutrients from the day before so it is good to get something to eat in that time frame. It helps to jump-start your day and to give your body the energy needed to get started.  There are tons of HEALTHY options (other than the drive through at your favorite fast food place or coffee place).  Try having 2 eggs (or egg whites) with one piece of toast and a cup of fruit.  You can also have a smoothie, or 1/2 a bagel with low-fat jam or cream cheese (make sure to look at the nutritional packages! Most of the time 1 serving size is a lot smaller than you think!) My personal favorite breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with pecans with a cup of fruit.  The key is to find something that you can eat that will keep you full for the next few hours until you have your mid morning snack or to make you last until lunch time.

For those of you who are weighing yourself regularly, in the morning before you eat breakfast is the best time to do so.  Usually at the end of the day you are full with the nutritional food and water you should have been consuming throughout the day.

Start and Finish your work out routine

Make sure you have a plan before you start your work out.  It is always good to know ahead of time what you want to do before you start.  It is also important to not forget to stretch! It is suggested that you do a quick warm up (before stretching) and a cool down after the work out.   A quick brisk walk (or any other activity) is suggested for about 90 seconds.  Then after that 90 seconds gradually build up your speed (you can keep it at a slight jog) for about 5 minutes.  After that time is over you stop and do your stretching and then go into your fitness routine.  After your workout you should also do your cool down.  This can be done by doing a slight jog for approximately 90 seconds, and then again doing a quick stretch of all of your major muscles.   This should help to keep you lose and stretched out.  Doing these can also help prevent injury and also help reduce muscle pain after your workout.

Don’t forget to eat right (by not consuming too many “empty” calories)

When I speak of “empty” calories I am talking about foods/drinks with little nutritional value.  These can be found in carbonated beverages, unhealthy snack choices, and unhealthy meal options.  Try to plan a balance meal that will suite your nutritional needs and taste buds.  Also, try to increase your activity by doing your fitness activities.  The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you are consuming.

Can I afford to workout?

YES you can!

In order to workout you do not have to buy a membership to a fitness facility.  You can work out at home, in the park, or anywhere! You just have to find the space and things needed to help you complete your desired workout.  But if you do go to a facility do not feel self-conscious about the people who are there.  I have had plenty of my friends tell me that they were afraid to go to the gym because of the “guys with muscles walking around” or the “Barbie sized girls that will be skipping around”.  Yes they may be there but I promise they will not be focusing on you.  Like you, everyone is there to get a workout! So do not even worry about them! They will be focused on their fitness goals and what they want to get done in the gym just like you.

 

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